1. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 1 Who is Coaching Really For? Clients and Coaches Beware Koučing Centrum & International Coach Federation Conference Prague, June 6th-7th, 2006 Annette B. Reissfelder

2. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 2 Why am I here? To share my passion for coaching: –Maximise the results and impact of individual sessions –Improve professional coaching standards and development To talk from a non-coaching position as –A fairly seasoned expert in the profession –A professional with concerns, hopes, and aspirations –An insider who will answer and raise new questions My sources: –Own observations, reflections, discussions with would-be coaches, HR managers –My working hypotheses

3. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 3 Professional Background German, lived and worked in several European countries Economics + economic history studies, psychology degree Previous professional roles include trainer, consultant, HR manager, and co-owner + COO of consultancy with 25 staff Systemic management + coaching training and supervision Currently coaching in Czech, German, and English in CEE countries (mainly CR), the UK, F, and D Most clients from top level (CEO, board, board -1) positions A CHANGE-oriented consultant A business owner who used to manage a training budget

4. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 4 Profession: Full-time Coach When she isnt coaching, shes probably at a conference Working differently with companies and managers Focus: How clients can best manage their own change projects Practice: –Individual coaching Approx. 70% top management positions Approx. 30% middle management positions (usually growth roles) –Some board + top management group coaching –German-language Coaching Club for top managers with a solid background in (self-)coaching (former participants of – cf. below) –Coaching-based management training for senior managers

5. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 5 No Advocate of Wellness Coaching Bottom line: my services cost real money + must deliver FAST and TANGIBLE returns As much as absolutely necessary, as little as possible How to measure the companys gains: –Savings (streamlined learning systems, direct cost-cutting...) –Quality (more internal promotions, customer satisfaction, …) –Retention figures, employee satisfaction, etc. … Always create a hierarchy of goals if client is not a CEO Overall earnings have to far exceed session costs (my fee, their time)

6. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 6 The Centrepiece: How Coaching Lifts Companies Performance By eliminating the WASTE of energy and money Examples: –Training programmes that lack solid link-back / follow-up / cost-effect ratios –Badly managed performance assessments By removing personal and organisational ROADBLOCKS By boosting individual motivation and ENERGY

7. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 7 What am I talking about? Paradoxes and Double Binds My clients are always smart and reasonable enough to solve their problems themselves UNLESS they trap themselves with double binds or ingrained assumptions ( This is how it must be ) –I need my team to do exactly what I want, but I need them to believe they came up with it themselves; At the same time I need them to show more initiative and think more independently…

8. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 8 More Examples of Belief Systems that Trap My Clients –"I need my managers to be top experts in their fields... AND I expect them to be professionals who support and develop their team/direct reports" – a variation on this: "I must be the leading expert in my field... AND I need to develop a team of competent, self-accounting professionals" –"I want my coaching programme to be as short as possible... AND I want the coach to tell me what to do clearly, instead of wasting time with all this unnecessary reflection" –"I want a robust company with clear structures and systems in place... AND I want my people to be customer-oriented and flexible, and of course to cooperate synergistically"

9. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 9 Calculating the Bottomline of Coaching - Estimated Savings 10% year-on-year increase in closing sales for under- performing sales rep (or 25% - 33%?) Gains when 100% of training participants adopt one key learning skill in their everyday practice Estimated savings from NOT replacing one manager Outplacing + paying out old manager Replacing (recruiting and training) new manager Extra demands on colleagues diverted from tasks and goals How do these figures compare to the costs of 5-20 hours of one-on-one coaching over 2-6 months?

10. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 10 What an Interesting Profession Travel options Meet interesting people Work with people who want to develop and improve themselves Oh really?!

11. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 11 Definitely an Interesting Profession… Most people lack a positive view of coaching – but are curious If they have NO opinion, I have 10 minutes to engage them This is the only time I will ever have to change their mindset ( Now show me how you are different) Potential clients want/need to change something (usually someone else!) Have zero time for a nice approach + understanding The last thing they want is to develop N.B. People who want to develop usually dont want to pay you! Potential clients are experienced, demanding, and quick thinkers = can quickly see what works for them + - 5 crucial minutes to position myself as a true partner!

12. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 12 Challenges of Working at Top Level CEOs and entrepreneurs have a different mindset –Not interested in development for its own sake –Certainly dont want to unlearn what made them successful Extremely effective and capable professionals Like challenges and creative, surprising new edges, thoughts + ideas Dont need your knowledge; not interested in your opinions (esp. on how they need to change) Have no positive experience of your coaching - yet… Probably ask themselves how you can be worth your fee – with no experience in their industry + no idea about their complex contexts What do you have to offer?

13. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 13 The Boredom Dilemma Management development quickly bores top performers The Supermarket Analogy: A few articles catch your attention, but the whole experience is uninspiring Coaching avoids this problem (if the coach matches the CEO/manager) BUT many top people see it as a weakness = unattractive HRs educational role: Create opportunity for the CEO to discuss key topics with a coach –Team goals, performance reviews, career planning, etc… –The goal is to facilitate ONE positive personal experience High performers see the benefit straight away

14. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 14 The Bottom Line: What All Coaching Clients … face : undesirable outcomes … believe : there is something THEY can do … really hate and wont tolerate for long: –being told what to do or think - just like everybody else –being patronised or treated as immature, inexperienced + clueless … have already tried without success : –applying old linear/causal explanatory models –talking to friends … want: help with being stuck right now This is what they are willing to pay for

15. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 15 Centrepiece for HR Managers/ Business Owners Ensure that your actions have maximum impact -Ultimately you want to change behaviour: A complex goal! -To succeed, you must respect each individuals complexity (reflected in coaching before trainings and blocks of seminars) Reduce your companys wasted costs caused by –Lack of clear (and/or closely monitored) performance evaluation follow-up / career plan / succession plans –Lack of training / seminar / workshop follow-up and clear implementation plans – These should be closely monitored by HR (worst case), or the managers themselves (best case) Look at what its WORTH - not what it COSTS

16. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 16 If You Are Considering a Career in Coaching You are on the right track if you want a profession which… Challenges you every time you meet a client Ensures you will keep learning for the rest of your life - not in a course, but from yourself and your clients Requires exceptional energy and inner strength (plus the usual things that any successful independent professional has to confront) Requires reflection, and ongoing personal and professional development

17. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 17 Questions for Aspiring Coaches What is your background and USP? Anything you are trying to get away from? Any chance your coaching clients will be working in these same contexts? Do you have a convincing track record of being ambitious for others? Are you comfortable with an independent professional role? –Bookkeeping, travel arrangements, admin, … - not for everyone –Responsible for your own marketing, pricing, sales calls –Selecting and financing your own ongoing training + supervision –Facing financial insecurity and a hugely varying workload

18. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 18 Centrepiece for Coaches-to-be: Where and How to Train Starting off as a coach is tough in many ways –professional problems, self-doubts –self-management issues, finance/workload – data/examples Easy way out: Overcome this by learning on the job Learn to apply your new coaching skills in your present job Find out what works and where youre strengths lie while managing your current (or new) team Use these insights to develop a niche for yourself – not just a marketing niche, but one that is about you

19. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 19 Useful questions if you are looking for a coach (for yourself or others) Does this coach have the life experience to face tough contexts and crises? Is this coach mature enough to respect my personality, or do they want to educate me (= to be like them, or how they feel I should be/act/…) Do I believe this particular person is walking their talk? Does (s)he offer a safe environment to clients while still addressing their underlying needs? Do I trust this person? Would I work with him/her? Why?

20. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 20 Putting it All Together: The Coaching Space Created between each coach and coaching client; Space determined by the possiblitities, personal and professional resources, and motivation that both bring to the table Resulting space can widely vary in impact –1+1 = 2 (coach is almost irrelevant/no value-added) –1+1 = 3 (some impact; suited for middle management) –1+1 = 4, 5, 6+ (exceptional impact, for the top level)

21. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 21 Questions – now? – Or later? Contact Annette B. Reissfelder Top Management Coaching Moorreye 88, 22415 Hamburg German Mobile +49/178 97 151 97 Czech Mobile +420/603 151 550

22. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 22 Somewhat heretic guidelines (to be used in small doses) Compare how little we can ever know about our clients with the multiplicity of their experiences with being them – most of which are potentially accessible to their self-reflection My favourite quote for coaches: If you have a hypothesis, take an aspirin and hope it will go away (Steve de Shazer, 1991)

23. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 23 Appendix 1/4 The Case for Self-Reflection Coaches only have themselves to rely on – Very good self-care is essential Coaches with better self-reflection can do more with and for their clients Many coaching trainings focus solely on coaching tools and techniques Tools are great but without highly developed self- reflection skills have little real value for the coach Strongly advocate basic systemic training for coaches

24. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 24 Train the Self-Reflection Muscle…2/4 Self-reflection is a muscle: it needs to be isolated, strengthened, and trained Its not just clients who benefit from this! Coaches need supervisors (more experienced coaches) to help keep this muscle in perfect shape Self-reflection is central to a coachs main professional tools, i.e. how they create value for their clients –Ability to distance self from the clients issues –Ability to offer useful insights and opinions (that are about the client, not the coach) –… and to detect circular thinking/paradoxes

25. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 25 Self-reflection Addresses Behaviour and Context 3/4 Monitor your actions (using feedback + feed forward) Reflect your behaviour with a better future in mind: looking for higher goals, other points of view, alternative actions, etc. On-going behavioural assessment –What exactly am I doing? How did I get there? –What effect does/did this have on the others? –Is this type of (re)action I chose (still) effective? Put on glasses in different colours to see things differently Be less black-and-white/either-or, but more context-oriented The aim is to make you see more options

26. A B Reissfelder - Management Coaching - 26 Self-reflection ² Focuses on our Way of Thinking 4/4 Where do my judgments and assessments come from? What do I really know about what I do and how I do it? What stereotypes rule my assessments? What behavioural preferences rule my actions? How can I makes sure I listen to my client, when I know how most of what I hear is about ME not HIM? How do I reflect my behaviour? How do I reflect that others reflect me/my behaviour?